The gap year consists of age requirements that young athletes must reach in order to participate. The gap year rule was implemented to prepare young athletes physically and psychologically for major league sports. Various major sports leagues have age requirements. Physical damage can lead to much more. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One purpose of the gap year is to help reduce the possibility of injury, student-athletes may experience more than just physical effects or injuries. These athletes may also suffer psychological trauma. Injuries, while preferably avoidable, are often part of sports participation. While most injuries can be managed with little or no impact on daily life and athletic activity, some impose a significant physical and mental burden. For some student-athletes, the psychological response to injury can trigger or result in serious mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance use or abuse. When a student-athlete becomes injured, there tends to be an emotional reaction that includes processing the medical information about the injury provided by the medical team, as well as emotional management of the injury. How student-athletes respond to injury may be unique to that individual and there is no predictable sequence or reaction. The response to the injury is present from the moment immediately following the injury until the post-injury phase and then to rehabilitation and finally to the return to activity. For most injuries, the student-athlete is able to return to pre-injury activity levels. In more severe cases, a student athlete's playing career may be put in jeopardy, and the healthcare provider should be prepared to address these issues. The team doctor is ultimately responsible for the decision to return to play, and addressing psychological issues is a significant variable in this decision. It is important for athletic trainers and team physicians, as well as student-athletes, coaches and administrators, to understand that emotional reactions to injury are normal. However, problematic reactions are those that; do not resolve or worsen over time or where the severity of symptoms seems excessive. Typically these student-athletes are late adolescents or early adults; a key period in the development of body and mind. This is a time in life when very little is normative. It is a period of frequent changes and new discoveries that covers many aspects of their lives: families, homes, roles, schools and much more. Today the process of becoming an adult is much more gradual and varied than in previous years. It takes young people longer to achieve economic and psychological independence, and their experiences of early adulthood vary greatly by gender, race, ethnicity, and class. “Adolescents move from identifying themselves as an extension of their parents (childhood) to recognizing their uniqueness and separateness from their parents. They develop a sense of self as an individual and as a person connected to valued people and groups.” As the level of competition in major league sports increases, more stress is placed on athletes' bodies, which has long-term effects. Regardless of the sport practiced by these athletes, there is a risk of injuries of various types. For example, one of the most talked about ones is concussion; a concussion is a traumatic brain injury that occurs when a blow to the30..